With each brush of his lips, I feel a flutter between my legs, an ache building. I find myself opening my legs and wrapping them around his. Then I slide my hands onto his butt, pulling him down until I feel his arousal pressing into me, right where I want it. “Fuck,” I mutter, loving the firm feeling of him through his jeans.
“You’re telling me,” he says, a laugh in his voice as he presses against me. “See what you do to me?”
I giggle, woozy with desire. I know this is the sort of crap he probably says to all women, but I have to hand it to him—it’s working.
He pulls back to stare longingly at my mouth. “This is the part where I’d kiss you.”
I shake my head, reminding myself why I won’t—why Ican’t. I’m not doing this to be coy—I really don’t want to cross that line. Sex with our bodies is one thing, but gentle, tender kisses… that’s something else. I kissed Shane because I thought we were heading in that direction and it’s a natural part of it. But Myles and I arenotheading there. I don’t want to know what his lips taste like.
“I’m like a prostitute with this no-kissing rule.”
I give him a playful grin. “Are you feeling used? Do you want to stop?”
“No.” He chuckles, pushing up to a sitting position, and smooths a palm over my belly through my shirt. I suck it in and he frowns. “You don’t have to do that. Not for me.”
“It’s a reflex.”
“It shouldn’t be. You’re perfectly sexy as you are.”
I let out my breath, releasing my stomach muscles. “There you go. Still think so?”
“Yes. Fuck yes.” He grasps the hem of my tank top, and I sit up enough for him to pull it over my head. His eyes move over my exposed skin, mapping every contour and curve. “You’re beautiful, Cat.”
I look down at myself with a snort. I’m wearing an old, beige cotton bra that I’m quite certain has a hole in the back, and my usual black jeans. Not exactly sexy clothes to seduce a guy—definitelynot something I’d wear on a date.
“I mean it,” Myles says, lowering his lips to press them to my skin. They land on my tattooed shoulder, which he stops to trace with a finger, then they work their way along my collarbone, down my chest, reaching the edge of my bra. “Take that off.” His voice is rough as he lifts himself off me so I have room to wriggle out of it. I toss it onto the floor beside us, then lie back, one arm across my chest, covering myself.
A laugh rumbles from him as he reaches for my arm. “Come on. Don’t tell me this is another rule? I’m not allowed to touch them, or something?”
I can’t help but laugh too, reluctantly letting him take my arm away. “No. It’s just… you know, it’syou. This is going to take some getting used to.”
He nods, tracing a circle around the outside of my bare breast. “What are you worried about?”
“I guess…” I breathe a self-conscious laugh, thinking of the many women he’s bedded and the fact that I haven’t done this in a long time. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll look at me differently if you don’t enjoy it, or something.”
His brows rise. “You’re worried about disappointing me?”
“I—” I glance away, cringing. I hadn’t meant to be so honest; that just slipped out. See, this is the problem, doing this with Myles. We’re in this gray area now where I feel like I should be following rule number one—always be my best self—like I do with all guys I’m attracted to. But then, he’s also my friend, and I’m used to not worrying about what he thinks of me. I don’t know how to behave and that makes me feel… nervous. “Never mind.” I force myself to look at him. “Let’s do this.”
He sighs, lowering himself on top of me. His bare skin feels amazing against mine and I shiver involuntarily, my eyes fluttering closed as I delight in the warm, soft sensation of being skin-to-skin with him.
“Cat, you couldn’t possibly disappoint me. All I want is to be with you. I’m already so unbelievablynotdisappointed, you have no idea.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I give a little laugh. “I know you want to kiss me. That’s disappointing you.”
He presses his lips to my neck, nuzzling against me. “I do want to kiss you. But I also know you’re not comfortable with that, and I can respect your boundaries.”
Well, fuck. That’s possibly the hottest thing anyone has ever said to me.
“Thank you,” I murmur, finally feeling the last of the tension drain from my body.
“Now—” He pulls back to look at me. “Tell me what you want.”
“What?”
A grin lifts one side of his mouth. “You heard me. Tell me what you like.”
“Oh.” I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t know. The usual. I don’t do dirty talk.”
